Wednesday, 27 July 2016

antique english tatted linen dragon lace - I bought this from the daughter of the woman who bought this lace in england over 100 years ago. The dragons remind me of chinese dragons which causes me to wonder if this lace was inspired by the 'orientalism' that was in fashion in the early 1900's in england. typing the word orientalism into the dictionary on my computer comes up with this: "the representation of Asia in a stereotyped way that is regarded as embodying a colonist attitude." I like this description as I find that this lace invokes deeper thought of its origins as well as of the social climate in which it was made. i like that it is so old and that I have a bit of a story from where I got it and where it came from. it is in remarkable condition for being over a 100 years old. as a fan of dragons, of old things with a story and of lace...this piece really spoke to me (notice the collection of gemstones these antique dragons are presiding over!)

Saturday, 6 June 2015

recently I discovered that these silk moths live in the forest I live in...these photos were taken outside my home last year. then a week or so ago, many more (about 20) showed themselves to me. this is amazing to me as they live in their moth forms for only a few days during which they look for a mate. I left my porch light on one night which is why I saw them..and I found out that leaving on a porch light at night not only attracts them, it confuses them greatly, interfering with their natural processes. now that I've learned that, I make sure to turn the porch lights off at night.

these moths are related to the tussah silk moth from china. I have been working with tussah silk the past few years and it is one of my favorite fibres. when I did a search on duck duck go the other day, I found that the polyphemus moth creates a silk cocoon much like the tussah moth and it can be used for spinning! I have yet to find one of their cocoons in the forest..but it is good to know that they are there. I will keep my eyes open and perhaps I can cultivate a friendship with these beautiful moths and they will share their silk with me :)